All types of man-made contaminated materials that pollute our environment are generated worldwide. These contaminants are found in air, water, river sediments, manufactured town gas sites, etc. There are two general types of contaminants: organic and inorganic. The most prevalent organic contaminants associated with sediments and soils include: Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), chlorinated hydrocarbons such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dioxins, furans, etc. and fossil-fuel derived hydrocarbons and their derivatives. The most common inorganic contaminants include volatile and nonvolatile heavy metals and mineral-derived materials such as asbestos.
Current thermal methods for the treatment of the above waste materials include the following four treatment systems: vitrification, plasma processing, molten metal processing and steam reforming. None of these methods have proven sufficiently economical for large-scale decontamination applications. In addition, after treatment, these technologies generate large secondary, waste streams that require expensive disposal.
This invention teaches a novel thermo-chemical transformation of contaminated sediments and soils into useful products for general construction applications, namely, blended cements and thus can significantly improve remediation economics by creating such value-added end products.